Archive for the ‘Autodesk’ Category

Trimble and Autodesk, Inc. entered into an interoperability agreement to improve current data exchanges, aimed at saving customers’ time and reducing project costs typically associated with workflow inefficiency across different suppliers’ technologies. This will benefit architects, engineers and contractors, and importantly, project owners by enabling more freedom to optimize technology workflows needed to meet the complex requirements of today’s construction projects.

Celebrity keynoters Kevin Spacey, Neri Oxman, and Rem Koolhaas will be among the numerous highlights of the AIA Convention 2016 held in Philadelphia next week. Learn and keep up with the latest from leading experts on topics including resiliency, business management, ADA compliance, LEED, green building, design and health, and more. Register for an in-depth workshop or pack your schedule with challenging seminars. Nearly 800 exhibitors will also be on hand with the latest products and technologies in the industry. Philadelphia is always a treat to visit so attendees will find a lot to entertain them after the conference lights dim.

The Philadelphia Museum Art crowns the city’s illuminated Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The culturally rich stretch is home to many parks, public works of art and museums, including Swann Memorial Fountain (pictured), the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, The Franklin Institute, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Sister Cities Park and many other attractions.

Those I spoke to at SPAR3D 2016 last week were amazed at the progress the 3D laser scanning/reality capture products had made over just one year. Many people attended in order to find out if the technology would be right for their organization and what it would entail in terms of a learning curve, and of course, how much it would cost.

On Monday, Autodesk announced the availability of AutoCAD 2017. The latest release makes the promise of being “faster and smarter across connected desktop and mobile solutions, and makes it easier to collaborate with colleagues, create personalized design experiences, and stay up-to-date with the newest features and updates.” The AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app is subscription based and allows you take AutoCAD with you.

Over the past few years reality capture has taken the AEC world by storm, with ever increasing attention to being able to collect, process and import data more efficiently and accurately. New technologies and the cloud have created the opportunity to use reality capture more affordably and efficiently, so that many more users can take advantage of the data collected. This technology is considered disruptive because in many cases it displaces previously used technologies and processes, that were more laborious, costly and less efficient.

The construction industry is driven by documentation in the form of submittals, contracts, record sets, and RFIs. While this is still a priority, the design teams are adopting BIM, and there needs to be a way to consolidate all the information coming from various stakeholders on the project.

Autodesk’s BIM 360 Docs web service was just made available as a commercial product. Designed for the entire construction project team, BIM 360 Docs ensures that the entire team works from the correct version of documents and plans. Addressing the entire AEC lifecycle, BIM 360 Docs includes tools for publishing, managing, reviewing, editing and approving all project plans, models and documents from the beginning stages of the project all the way through owner occupancy. The cloud-based service is available on all devices or desktop, so that it is a complete collaborative tool.

Quickly navigate between 2D plans and 3D models on any device, without having to close the viewer.

Unlike typical document management platforms available on the market, which are generally in the form of document management platforms, AEC drawing viewers or model viewers, and project management apps, BIM 360 Docs goes beyond the focus on specific people or goals to putting the project at the center of the technology instead. The single cloud-based repository holds all project documents, models and plans for the entire project team.